Flybe has boosted UK passenger numbers through its strategy of cutting prices in the last three months.
The regional carrier, which has issued a series of profit warnings over the last year, saw its UK division carry 2.01 million passengers for the quarter to the end of June – up by 4.9 per cent from the same period last year. Capacity was reduced by 1.6 per cent to 3.03 million seats.
The increase in UK passengers came after Flybe launched a series of sales promotions during the quarter as the airline decided to cut prices to drive up sales.
The move helped improve load factor by 4.3 percentage points to 66.5 per cent year-on-year although the amount of money made from each passenger fell by 6.4 per cent from £77.38 to £72.46. Flybe UK revenue fell 1.8 per cent to £145.9 million.
Flybe also consolidated its hold on the UK regional market outside London by increasing its market share from 51.2 per cent to 55 per cent. Flybe has a 29 per cent share of the UK domestic market.
The Exeter-based airline, which has this week undergone a management shake-up under new CEO Saad Hammad, said its current trading was “in line with expectations”.
Flybe has been boosted by an increase in its contract flying – mainly through Flybe Finland, its joint venture with Finnair. Revenue for contract flying nearly trebled from £21.2 million in 2012 to £60.2 million this year.
flybe.com